My Hero Zero?
by alicekinsno1
Summary: It's been more than eight years since the events of Code Geass, and the young son of Kaname Ohgi and Villetta Nu comes face to face with his idol Zero. But Zero is not who he expected to be at first. Rated T as a precaution. Possible spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

My Hero Zero

_ A/N: Yeah..., sorry about the corny title, but nothing else seemed to work. This has been a plot bunny for awhile now, so I thought I'd go with it. Oh, and this story stars the son of Kaname Ohgi and Villetta, who will go unnamed because I liked another's fanfic enough to make it my own personal canon, and I don't want her to think I stole her idea. I OWN NOTHING!_

It started as an ordinary night, as Kaname Ohgi and Villetta sat watching the news with their son, now eight years old. Everytime Zero came up, the little boy would start clapping and cheering. "Man, Zero's the greatest!" he would say, again and again, "Wouldn't it be cool if I could meet Zero? I'd love it if he'd rescue me!" He stared at his parents with a wild expression. Both of them laughed softly.

"I don't think that'll happen anytime soon, though," said Kaname Ohgi. Meanwhile, Villetta shot a quick look at the clock.

"Would you look at the time?" she said urgently to her son, "You've got Hebrew school."

"Aww, can't I stay and watch Zero a little longer?" her son begged.

"No, because you need to get over to the temple," Villetta retorted, handing him his bag, as well as an apple and a few rice crackers to eat in case he got hungry. "Go on, get your things together."

"Okay," her son murmured, shoving his workbooks and snacks into the backpack and heading toward the door. "Bye, Mom, bye, Dad!"

"Have a good time, son!" said Kaname Ohgi.

Because the synagogue the family attended was so close, the boy could reach it easily with only a short walk. However, sometimes he wandered around back roads, since they were different and thus exciting. This time, he peered down an alleyway he had always ignored before, and decided to wait to explore it on the way home so as not to risk being late for his class.

The boy went to Hebrew school once every week. Most of the children in the class were Britannian with no Japanese family. Of course, this particular child was not full-blooded Japanese either, and neither was his father.

After the lesson was over, the boy kept his eyes peeled for the alleyway and walked down it. He found it led him to a whole labyrinth of forbidding back streets. He kept walking around in them and by the time his mind caught up with just how creepy the streets were he was lost. Shivering, he began to retrace his steps, hoping to see a way that looked familiar. The moment he turned, he saw a familiar-looking silhouette on the building, and then Zero dropped right in front of him. "Don't move!" he ordered.

The child stood quite still, paralyzed with shock. "Z-Zero?" he whispered.

Zero gave a brief nod, before jumping over his head. Finally the boy got enough courage to turn around, and he saw two really nasty-looking men whom Zero was now descending upon. In a flash of a sword and a few gunshots, the men lay bleeding in a pile on the ground. Zero then turned to the child. "So, where did you come from?"

"I... I've just been to Hebrew school," the boy stammered. "I... wanted to see what was over here but I got lost. C-can you please help me get back home?"

Zero seemed taken aback at the request; he paused for a moment and put a hand on his mask. Finally, he said: "Yes, I suppose I can do that." And in an instant he had grabbed onto the little boy and was running with him over rooftops. "Lemme see," Zero said, "You're the son of Kaname Ohgi and Villetta Nu Ohgi, aren't you?"

"I... yeah," said the child, "Wow, how did you know that?"

"I know just about everyone around here," said Zero, "And I used to work with your father, back when he was Prime Minister. I can see you have his curly hair, though it's silvery-blue, just like your mother's."

As Zero walked him through familiar streets back toward his house, the child said: "You're my hero, Zero. I wish I was just like you."

Zero stopped short, then, and didn't reply for a long time. The child was puzzled. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"No," said Zero, "You don't want to be like me." That was the last thing he said to him that night. Finally, Zero arrived at the house of Kaname and Villetta, and left shortly after ringing the door bell.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" the boy called excitedly.

Both his parents opened the door. "Oh, you're back!" his father exclaimed, pulling him into a hug, "What took you so long? We were so worried about you!"

"What happened to you?" asked his mother.

"I... I sorta got lost on the way home."

"You got lost?" said Villetta, "How? It's only a ten-minute walk home!"

"I... well, like, I sorta... y'know..."

"You didn't get yourself lost again, did you?" Villetta sighed.

"I... ah... okay, so I did," said the child, "But... but... I'm okay now! Zero saved me!"

"Zero saved you?" said Kaname.

"Yeah, he did! He showed up and killed a bunch of bad guys! And then he helped me get back home!"

"Be that as it may," said Villetta, "You're not to wander around the streets at night again, do you understand? It's dangerous."

"I know, I know," said the son, "I won't do it again."

"Maybe one of us should walk him to Hebrew school for awhile?" Villetta asked Kaname. "Just to make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble?"

"No!" protested the boy, "I'm not a baby, I can go places myself! I'm eight years old!"

"I think it's okay," Villetta," said Kaname, "He hasn't gotten lost for awhile, he's probably learned his lesson." His son beamed at him.

"Well... I can only hope so," said Villetta, with a shrug.

That night, as Kaname tucked his son into bed, the child said: "Hey Dad, I just thought of something."

"What is it, son?" asked Kaname.

"Well...," said the boy, fishing his Zero action figure ("Complete with gun and limited-edition sword!") off the floor, "When I told Zero how much I wanted to be like him he said, 'You don't want to be like me.' Why? Why wouldn't I want to be an awesome superhero? Superheroes are cool."

"Well...," Kaname Ohgi fished for the right words to say to his son, "The thing is that being a superhero isn't always as much fun as it seems. I know Zero... better than some people. He's not like the superheroes you see on those cartoons you watch, who can switch between being superheroes and leading perfectly normal lives like you or me. Zero can't... actually be anyone else, ever. Think about it, would you like to kill criminals and stop disasters and rescue children all day, every day, for the rest of your life and never do anything else? Not even have a family or any friends?"

"Well... I guess not," said the boy, "That does sound kinda boring. And Zero must be so lonely, if he doesn't have time to meet people normally." He reflected for a moment, "Maybe he'd feel better if he had a friend. If you know Zero, could you introduce me to him?"

Kaname Ohgi froze, not sure how to answer. "He's... he's not really the easiest person to get to know," he said, "He doesn't allow anyone to meet him, except on official business; and he won't tell you anything about himself."

"Aww, come on, please?" his son begged, tears forming in his eyes.

"Besides," Kaname Ohgi continued, "I don't even know where he lives."

Just then, Villetta walked in. "Hey, guys, what's going on?"

"Mom, Dad isn't letting me go see Zero," her son whined.

"Well, you shouldn't," said Villetta. "Zero's too dangerous."

"Yup, like your mother said," said Kaname Ohgi, suddenly more forceful, "You're not going to see Zero, and that's that."

"But he's a superhero," the boy continued to argue, "How dangerous can he be?"

"Well...," said Villetta, "Nobody knows where he lives, but it's been said some people have stumbled across his home, and none of them were ever seen again."

"Wow, that's creepy," said the boy, not sure if he believed it. Why would a superhero, who was constantly saving people's lives and working for the greater good of all, kill innocents who just happened across his home? "Oh, well," he said, "Good night, Mom. Good night, Dad."

"Good night, son," said both parents, who then departed, turning off the light in his room and closing the door behind them.

But the child tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Ultimately, he made up his mind to track down Zero, somehow, and meet him firsthand.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Part 2 of my fic! Enjoy!_

On Take-a-Child-to-Work Day, Villetta brought her son to Ashford Academy. In the gym he played a few games and watched other students run laps. The boy, however, had other plans. He had a sneaking suspicion that Zero could be found here, since this was where he had most often seen him on the news. First, however, he needed an excuse to get away from his mother.

Eventually, Villetta sensed that he was getting bored, so she sent him off to have lunch, and showed him the way to the computer lab so he could play games. She also lent him her Ashford card so he could open the door to her office. "Don't got wandering around, though," she said.

"Don't worry, Mom," replied the boy. But as soon as she was out of his line of sight, he made a beeline to some elevators he had seen when his mother gave him a tour in the morning. The elevators led to the sewers, and, if there was one thing the child had gathered from his many cartoons about superheroes, it was that they loved to hang out in sewers. After standing momentarily puzzled by the keypad and slot, he inserted his card and discovered to his joy that the elevator opened, and took him to a hallway deep underground, armed with motion-sensitive guns and with a faintly disgusting smell coming from the other end. "Yup," the boy thought to himself, "Something tells me this is the place."

But how to get past the guns? There was no way he could outrun them, if they went off. Seeing no other option, he began to shout: "Zero! Zero! Are you there?" His heart began racing when he saw a dark figure appear at the end of the hallway, wearing a cape and mask. He pushed a button on the side wall, and then beckoned the boy forward. The boy happily ran after him. "Oh, Zero!" he shouted, "I'm so happy to see you!" He charged past Zero and into the main sewer area, where bridges connected to a big platform in the center under a very high ceiling, with a rotating cylinder suspended from it. "This is where you live?" he asked.

"In a matter of speaking, I suppose," said Zero, looking rapidly left and right before slipping his mask off. The hair of the man underneath was long and brown, and thin from being pressed against the helmet for so long. His eyes, though still huge and colorful, were burning oddly.

"T-this is what you look like?" said the child, "Is that because you never go out?"

"Do I look so bad?" asked the man, his voice cracking. "Please... don't." He sighed, "When I was a teenager I was one of the most attractive, desirable guys in the school. Or, would have been, if I wasn't Japanese. People didn't used to treat us very well, see."

"How old are you now?" asked the boy.

"Oh, late twenties," replied the man that was Zero. His voice was bitter and gravelly from hardship, but with a lilt that suggested better days, when it was silky-smooth and sweet. "Just what made you think you could come down here, anyway?"

"You're my hero, Zero!" the child insisted, "I have all your toys, I watch you on the news every night...!"

"Is that so?" said Zero.

"And you're just a regular guy, right?" said the child, gazing appealingly at him.

"I... no," said Zero, "I can't say I am."

"Are you some kind of demon or robot?" the boy pressed, more eagerly.

"No, nothing like that," Zero replied, "I was normal, once... but I can't be normal anymore."

"What's your name?" asked the child.

"Zero," the man replied with a sigh.

"I mean your real name, that you had before." the child said.

Zero's eyes flashed, and when he turned to the little boy, his expression was steely, "That is of no importance," he snarled.

"I don't believe that," the boy pressed, "I wanna be your friend, and I have to call you something."

"You're not my friend," Zero murmured, "If you think you are, you're a bigger fool than you can possibly imagine." He turned to the child, "For all you know, I could kill you any second. And there'd be nothing you could do about it."

"Aww, that's what they all say," said the child, "But I think you'll start liking me eventually. I'm very easy to get along with."

"Not for me," Zero growled. "Listen, there's a lot going on that you don't understand. I can't be your friend, and you can't be mine. There's no way."

"But if you're such a superhero, you have to be a good guy underneath it all. I just know it!" the boy protested.

"I've lost the ability to be good long ago," said Zero.

"Then what about all the people you've been saving?" asked the boy, "Or the criminals you've killed or the disasters you've stopped?"

"I do those things because I have to, not because I've ever wanted to!" retorted Zero, "You'll understand when you're older."

The boy was struck dumb. He couldn't understand how his favorite superhero could be so cold. Not to mention, why he would have any regrets about helping the populace.

"You think I'm just some, cartoon superhero?" Zero continued to rant, "I'm carrying the weight of the world; have been for more than eight years. It was the same with my old friend Lelouch for awhile, but Lelouch is dead now, so he was put out of his misery quickly. I can't be killed; I've been praying for a natural death for so long now, to no avail. And along the way, to becoming this... I've lost everything: my family, my friends; even my mind. The only thing that's keeping me sane is the credit I get for being Zero. If I haven't gone completely insane already, that is..."

"You knew that Lelouch?" the child gasped, "That Lelouch that I read about in history class? That tried to kill people and destroy everything, until you stepped in and killed him?"

"I knew him," said Zero, "But if I told you any more, I'd have to kill you."

But the child's eyes had strayed to a small corner in which several scraps of paper and old objects lay. "What's this?" he asked, running to take a look at the pile. Before Zero could stop him, he pulled out an old photo, of a handsome, clean-shaven young man, with innocent, wide green eyes and sleek, wavy chestnut hair, standing next to a black-haired young man with intense purple eyes. "It's Lelouch!" the boy remarked, "He looks just like the picture in my history book." On the back of the photo was the note: _To my friend, Suzaku_. "I see," said the boy, understanding, "Your real name's Suzaku, isn't it?"

Zero froze, his eyes wild and panicky for a moment. Then they turned steely with rage. He ran over to the child and snatched the photo from him. As Zero stared at the picture he inwardly cursed his improvidence. He had always known he should have disposed of it once he became Zero, but he had clung to it for stupid sentimental reasons all this time. Turning away from the boy quickly, he tore the photo up, crumpled the pieces, and flung them into the dirty water. "No," he said, his voice heavy with sorrow, "I was Suzaku once, but not anymore. That man's been dead and buried since before you were born."

"I don't understand...," said the boy.

"I've told you before," said Zero, "I became this way only after losing everything I once held dear. Suzaku Kururugi, the man I once was, is completely dead to the world."

"I heard about him!" the boy exclaimed, "He was Lelouch's knight!" And now his insides quavered with suspicion and fear. "He was supposed to be dead in battle. But... you're him?"

"Not by choice," said Zero, "But that's something you could never understand. All I can say is that Lelouch pressured me into becoming Zero, shortly before he died. But nobody must ever know who I am- not even you." The look on the man's face became murderous as he fixated on the boy.

"I... I'm sorry- what do you want me to do?" the boy asked, trembling.

"There's nothing you can do," said Zero, "It's too late. You already know too much. I'm afraid I can't let you leave this place."

"W-what do you mean?" the child squeaked, suddenly terrified as he watched Zero amble over to the table where his sword and gun lay. "Oh, no! No, you can't be serious!"

"It's the only way," said Zero with a sigh, "If you told anyone my true identity I'd have to kill anyone else who knew it- most of the people in Japan would end up dead. I just can't take that kind of chance." His hand hovered over the sword for a minute, trembling, before finally settling on the gun.

"So that's what's been happening to those other people who've disappeared in areas where you've spent so much time?" the child realized.

"Yes."

"B-but... my parents... what'll they think?"

"I think they will understand perfectly," said Zero, "They know about my plans, and they know one life is a small price to pay to protect most of the world."

"No!" the child screamed, trying to run away. Zero, however, fired a warning shot from his gun, clipping the boy's shoulder, and he fell down.

"If you just hold still and don't try to fight, I can make sure you don't feel any pain," Zero went on, coming up to him and pulling him to his feet.

"Please," the child begged, "I'm only eight years old."

"You seem to have had a pretty happy childhood," Zero reasoned, though his voice was heavy and shaky. "Isn't that good enough?"

"But I wanna grow up! I wanna live for a long time!"

"Lelouch didn't live for a long time," Zero murmured, his voice uneven, "Nor did... Euphemia... or Shirley... or anyone..." Finally he broke off, unable to speak. He pressed the little boy against him, burying his face in his shoulder and touching the gun to the back of his neck. Tears erupted from his eyes, and he sniffled. "Relax, this won't take long," he went on, "You want to know the full story of how I became this? You should ask Lelouch once you meet him in the afterlife."

The boy continued to whimper, but couldn't move or scream for intense fear. He was truly going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. Each small splash on his head and back made him twitch as he heard the gun click. But just then, he heard a familiar voice: "Zero! You leave my son alone!"

The child pulled his head around just as he felt the gun slip off of his neck. His mother was running into the room. In a flash, she grabbed him by the arm and flung him toward the door. "Run away!" she yelled. The child didn't need telling twice. He began sprinting for the exit as Villetta gave Zero a kick in the stomach, knocking him over. "Nobody messes with my family, understood!" she shouted, before dashing to the elevator after her son. Zero watched the two of them go with tears in his eyes.

"H-how did you know where to find me?" asked the little boy as his mother took him to the nurse's office to get a bandage for the small wound Zero's gun had made.

"I had a hunch you'd go looking for Zero," Villetta replied, "And I knew about that entrance into the sewers. I've seen those cartoons, too."

"I... I just d-don't believe it," the child said, "He... he was my hero, and... and... and... he t-tried to k-kill me!"

"Don't worry," said Villetta, giving him a reassuring hug, "He can't hurt you while I'm around. I used to work in the army, you know."

"D-do you know anything about how Zero all got started?" her son asked.

"He began as a resistance leader against the Holy Britannian Empire. You've heard about them in school, and you'll learn more about that later," said Villetta, "Eventually, he started a huge war. Your father and I met each other around that time. We were... on opposite sides, for awhile, but ultimately we managed to make it work. We were relatively lucky, though. There were others- lots of others- who didn't even survive. When Lelouch came into power he captured your father and I was forced to rally against him But that's a story for when you're a little older. All I know is that in the end Zero killed Lelouch, and that effectively ended the war, because Lelouch was such an oppressive leader that we were all glad just to be rid of him."

The boy blinked at how different this sounded from what Zero had said. But, Zero was willing to kill him just for knowing his real name, and so couldn't be trusted anymore. He shuddered at the memory of being smothered by Zero's arm and shoulder with the gun pressed to his neck, and clutched at Villetta's arm.

By the time he returned home, he realized that there was no reason why Zero couldn't come after him still. Zero already knew where he lived, after all, and he still knew Zero's real name. The only thing to do, was to somehow erase that name from his mind, forever. "Hey, Mom, Dad?" he said over dinner, "If... if there's a-a word, that you... really don't want to think about anymore... is there any way to make yourself forget it?"

"Well, there's a way that's sort of popular," said Kaname Ohgi, "What you do is, you keep repeating the word over and over again, until you get tired of it and forget why you ever thought of it in the first place."

"Oh, okay," said the boy, "And... will that work?"

"I don't know; I've never tried it," said Villetta, "But other people have, and they say it works."

"Okay!" said their son, trying to sound happy.

"So, are you going to watch the news with us again tonight?" asked Kaname Ohgi genially, "We might catch Zero again..."

"No!" his son yelled, suddenly bolt-upright with shock, "No... please... no more Zero!" he was close to tears, "I think... is there anything else on TV?"

"Well, gee, your mother and I like watching the news...," Kaname Ohgi began. He stared incredulously at Villetta.

"He got in a bit of trouble today, when I took him with me to school," Villetta explained, "With Zero."

"What? What happened?" Kaname Ohgi was on the edge of his chair with alarm.

Noticing the frightened look on her son's face, Villetta said: "I'll explain it all to you later."

"Okay... I'll just go on my computer, then," their son offered.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Kaname Ohgi.

"I... yeah," said the child quickly, who refused to look either of them in the eyes again for the rest of the meal.

After dinner was over, he went to his room, with its Zero poster on the wall, and all his Zero toys scattered over the floor. In a fit of anger, he ripped the poster down, tore it up, crumpled the pieces, and ran them to the bathroom to flush them, unwilling to leave them in his room. He picked up every last piece of Zero memorabilia he owned and threw them all out the window, which he then bolted shut. His computer forgotten, he fell down on the bed and buried his head in his pillow, sobbing. He felt hunted. He almost wished that Zero had killed him underground, just so he could get it over with. He could hear his parents arguing in hushed tones, trying to make sense of what had happened, come up with a suitable way to punish him and keep him safe.

Once the boy had composed himself a little, he began to mutter: "Suzaku... Suzaku... Suzaku." He resolved to continue to repeat that every spare minute he had. Maybe, if he did forget about what the name meant, Zero would forgive him.

It was years before the poor boy could sleep again without his windows and the door to his room securely locked. For years he refused to leave the house without at least one parent; and for years after, he walked only in familiar and well-populated areas, where Zero couldn't corner him and finish him off without attracting unwanted attention. He repeated the name "Suzaku" constantly, in public or private, without ever fully explaining himself to anyone. He refused to seek therapy for fear of relating his taboo discovery to the world.

It was more than ten years later, when the son of Kaname Ohgi and Villetta became a man, that he finally succeeded in suppressing the memory of what Zero's name actually was. At that point, he knew what a non-priority target was, and had realized that he had been one all along, and was in no more danger. But he never regained his childhood affection for Zero. Because some people just aren't who you expect them to be, and really are just better to keep at a distance.

**The End**

_A/N: Just to clarify: I am NOT trying to demonize Suzaku or Zero! I actually find him very sympathetic and thought that this was, in fact, a pretty fair idea of exactly where Suzaku might have ended up awhile after the series ended. Because, let's face it, his life as Zero, and the secrecy surrounding it, must suck!_


End file.
